My Prerogative
by Cheetafang
Summary: Charie becomes a foster parent when he realises Bella's going for good. But the girl he finds is hard to manage. Plus, she seems to have connections with Bella's friends. Some blood, some romantic.
1. Shadow of the Day

Bella lay in her bed reading a magazine not paying attention to what was going around. As she turned to the next page the doorbell rang. She didn't react believing that her dad would get it.

The bell rang again and she heard her dad shout.

"Bella! Can you get that? I'm stuck in front of the stove here."

Bella rolled her eyes and forced herself up. She was almost there and the bell rang again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she groaned.

She opened the door wondering who it would be. She figured it was probably Alice with more things to plan for the wedding.

Unfortunately it wasn't her but someone she had never seen before. It was a teenage girl, maybe a little younger than herself, standing there with a taller man in a fancy suit and what Bella considered, and a really bad comb over.

The girl stood there in an old t-shirt and jeans with a very annoyed and uncaring look on her face. Her hair reddish brown hair flowed freely in her face. She chewed a piece of gum and looked at Bella rolling her eyes.

"Hi," she said not seeming to really care what was going on.

"Hey…" Bella said back.

The man introduced himself. "My name is George Brown. I'm looking for a Charlie Swan. Are you Isabella?"

"Yes, but please, call me Bella. I'll go get Cha- my father."

She turned around and made a quick shout to her dad.

"Dad, we have someone to see you. A Mr. Brown?"

Bella came back with her father behind her cleaning his hands with a small wet towel. He smiled when he realized exactly who was at the door.

"Hello, Mr. Brown. This must be her," Charlie said referring to the young girl standing in front of him. "You must be June," he said extended his hand.

She quickly shook his hand and retreated it. "The name's Jude."

"Oh, like the song!" he exclaimed.

"I guess so."

"Dad," Bella butted in. "Who are these people?" She was both confused and somewhat nervous.

"I'm from the WSS. Washington Social Services. Your father has called us and said that he would like to be a foster parent," George said.

"Foster parent?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, well," he replied, "You're going to go away soon and I still like the idea of being a father figure. I thought it would be a good way to do that."

"You didn't even ask?"

"Bella, not right now." He stepped out of the way and made a motion with his hands to let the two into his home. "Why don't I get you guys something to drink?"

Georg smiled and walked in. Of course Jude walked in too, but she didn't smile. Instead she just popped her large pink gum.

"Thanks," she replied, not caring that much.

Bella gave Charlie a look that said 'what were you thinking' as she entered the kitchen to get their guests some water.

"So how old are you?" Bella asked.

"Fifteen."

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Charlie commented. Jude just shrugged off his comment.

She yawned as she pulled her hair back into a loose ponytail and left a few strands flowing freely in her face. She looked between the other the three of them and waited for something to happen.

"So, Jude, would you like to see the room you'll be staying in?" Charlie asked.

"I guess."

"Bella, she's staying in the guest room. Can you show around too? George and I need to discuss some things."

Jude, hearing this, got up and followed Bella down the hall.

"This is the bathroom. Here's the closet for things like towels. And finally," Bella swung open a door, "this, I guess, is where you'll be staying."

The room wasn't anything special. It was almost completely bare and consisted of nothing but a brown chest, a twin sized bed, and a small painting of a lake.

"Thanks," Jude said. Her tone wasn't really sarcastic, but it sounded more like she simply wanted to get the whole process over with.

"Not that it's any of my business, but how many foster homes have you been in?"

Jude glared at her. "Lost count a while back. Maybe about eight… possibly nine."

"That's got to be tough."

"You get used to it after a while." Jude then pulled her hand into her jeans and reached out what appeared to be a small block of metal entwined with some plastic coated wires. "Do you guys have an outlet I can use?"

"Sure, right there in the corner." She pointed to the corner next to the bed.

Jude undid her wires and plugged it into the wall. Bella figured it was probably just some kind of MP3 or game system.

"How old are you?"

Bella was surprised when she heard Jude asking the questions. "Uh, I'm going to be nineteen in about two months."

"And you're married?"

She looked down at her ring. "Engaged."

"Never thought it would be easy to find such a great guy in such a small town like this." The only part of the sentence that time that sounded sarcastic was when she said 'great guy'.

"Yeah, they don't come by very easily. So, are you going to be a sophomore in the fall?"

Jude shook her head. "Junior. I skipped the second grade."

"Hey, I know a guy going to be a junior next year. Well, I'm not completely sure that he'll even be attending."

"Great," she sighed. She picked up her arm to show reveal her bulky black watch. "Five, four, three, two-"

"Okay, Jude!" they heard George say. "Your things are at the door. I'll be back in a week to check up on you. Don't get into any trouble. Sayonara!"

"That was fast," Bella said.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Bella, Jude, can you guys come here for a second?" Charles called out.

Jude groaned. This was a regular routine for her. Check out her room, meet the family, talk about how she was going to have a _great_ time with them, then finally let her get some sleep. Only 

difference this time was that she might get to attend a wedding. She smiled at the thought. She had never been to one before.

They walked to the kitchen where Charlie sat.

"Bella, I have to go now. I didn't expect Jude to get here until tomorrow and I can't miss work. You were going to drive up to the Cullens ' house, maybe it would be a good idea for her to meet Edward."

"Who?" Jude asked.

"My fiancé. And actually dad, Edward canceled. I'm not going until tomorrow."

"Okay then. Jude, you can go ahead and get your stuff and unpack. You can meet them tomorrow."


	2. Six in the Morning

"Hey, I didn't realize that Bella was going to leave so early."

"Mr. Swan, it's six in the morning. Why am I up?" Jude moaned at him.

"I've got work. I'm just going to drop you off. Hey, great, all of their cars here." He stopped the car at the front of an extraordinary looking house. In front of it were several great cars. She couldn't believe that someone in such a small town could have so many nice things.

Jude opened the car door and slung her small backpack over her shoulder. "Thanks for the ride."

"You have my number if you need me."

She nodded and slammed the car door. "Bye."

"Bye." He put his hands back on the wheel and drove off.

Jude bit her lip and grew more and more impressed with the luxurious estate. She slowly walked up to the front door and rang the bell. "Hellooooo?"

She knocked on the door ferociously. "Anyone awake in there? I'm sorry that I'm here so early but I figured that since Bella was here that _somebody_ would be awake."

She sighed in despair and turned around. But what she saw almost gave her a heart attack.

A tall guy stood in front of her. He was quite muscular and stared at her with gold eyes and bright blond hair. His smile was friendly and his expression kind.

"Hello. My name is Dr. Cullen. And who would you be?"

"I- uh- I- I'm Jude. I'm supposed to meet Bella here. I'm guessing by your name I'm at the right place."

"Right place, wrong time. She and Edward went to the park about half an hour ago. But please, you're free to stay and wait here until they come back. We have a television you can watch."

"Sure, I guess." Jude squinted her eyes, "Dr. Cullen, you lip appears to be bleeding. There's some blood at the corner."

He quickly wiped it off. "It's nothing." He then reached into his pocket to pick out a small keychain. He flipped them around and picked one where he then used it to open the house.

"Come on in," he insisted. She went in and gave him a small thankful smile. For some reason she didn't feel like being her regular bratty self. "So how do know Bella?"

"Her father is my foster dad."

"Oh, I didn't know he was one."

"Yesterday was just day one. So Edward is your son?"

"Yeah… Right. Do you know about their-"

"Engagement," she finished. "Bet you can't wait to see her join the family huh?"

"Yeah, she's a really sweet girl."

Jude looked at the various photographs on the walls and the fireplace mantle. She eventually came across one of Alice and Jasper hugging and laughing. "This girl, she looks awfully familiar. I could swear I've seen her before."

He shrugged. "Who knows?"

She turned back around to Carlisle. "If you don't mind me asking, Edward has got to be about eighteen right?"

He nodded.

"You don't appear to be any older than, I don't know, twenty-five. How could you possibly…"

"He, along with all of our kids, are adopted."

"No wonder," she said. "You guys, honestly, don't look a bit alike. So which one is Edward?" she asked referring to the photos.

He pointed to an eight by ten that appeared to be a school photo. The boy was definitely around Bella's age. "Do you approve of them getting married at such a young age?"

"I wish they could wait. But, it's a long story; let's just say that we don't have too many options."

She raised her hands in defeat. "It's your business. I don't have to be all up in it. So, when do you expect them to be back?"

"Maybe around seven."

"Carlisle…" someone moaned. "I haven't been having a good hunt today."

A young woman entered the living room. She had light purple marks under her eyes and the eyes themselves were a dark yellow. Almost… black."

"Oh! I didn't realize that we had company." The woman immediately tried to perk up her face. Her hair was a caramel brown. Jude also noticed how pale they both were. "Hello, my name is Esme. You've appeared to meet my husband."

"Yes. I'm Jude. I came here to see Bella, but I've realized she left a while ago. Dr. Cullen said it would be okay if I stayed in here until they came back. Did you say hunt?"

Esme stuttered. "I- y-y- yes. It's a family sport."

"So is that where your children are?"

"Yes. They'll be back in a few minutes. You can meet them then." She quickly turned her head around. "Oh, I believe that's Rosalie now."

Jude heard nothing but nevertheless a teenage girl walked into the building. She was fairly tall and had long wavy blond hair surrounding her face. Her eyes appeared near black, identical to Esme's, and also had those purple marks under her eyes. She had a look of disappointment on her face and said:

"The guys will be back soon."

She looked at Jude. "Hello?"

"Names Jude. I'm here for Bella. Dr. Cullen said that I could wait here until she comes back." Jude was really getting annoyed at having to explain this to everyone.

"Okay then. I'm Rosalie."

"Nice to meet you." Jude looked at the various chairs. "Can I have a seat?"

"Of course," Carlisle said. "Go ahead, feel free."

"Thank you," she replied sitting on one of the couches. She opened the small backpack and pulled out of it a small MP3. "Is it okay if I just listen for a while?"

"Yeah, whatever you like. It's no problem. Honestly," Carlisle said.

Jude placed the black earphones in her ears and put the music on quite loudly.

"Carlisle," Esme said, "Who is she?"

"She's Charlie's foster child. I'm guessing that he probably wants her to spend time with Bella. I'm pretty sure he isn't the first foster parent she's had."

The three of them looked at her sympathetically as Alice, Jasper, and Emmett came in.


	3. Blandest

"Who's this?" Emmett asked quietly.

"Charlie's new foster kid. Apparently he dropped her off thinking Bella was here," Carlisle replied.

Jude didn't pay attention and probably didn't even the three entering the building. Her eyes were closed as she bobbed her head with the music. She grew bored a few seconds later and reached into her bag and pulled out a novel.

She looked up and noticed them. "Hello," she said.

They only waved hi. None of them knew what exactly to do.

Jude kept the MP3 on as a distraction from her surroundings and flipped through the pages of her book. The title read NEXT by Michael Crichton.

"The girl's got to be like fourteen and reading a Crichton novel?" Rosalie asked.

"Well, she's not confused," Jasper assured. "I can assure you that."

The door creaked open. "Well, she has a slight problem vocabulary wise," the enterer said. It was Edward along with Bella. They were soaked even with his umbrella.

"Who is she?" Edward asked.

"Name's Jude," Bella said. "She's my dad's foster kid. He said I had to take care of her while he's at work. Guess I'd better figure out a way to entertain her soon."

She walked up to Jude and waved a hand in front of the book. "Woo-hooo…"

"Hey, Bella. Just let me finish this paragraph…" she didn't remove her eyes from the book. "And… there."

She shut the book and looked up. "Now what?"

"Hey, I'm Edward," he said. Like Carlisle his eyes were golden. And though he also had purple marks under his eyes but they were lighter than most the others.

"Okay, all of your names are on at least one of those photos," she pointed out. "We don't really have to go through this with all of you. Do we?"

He shook his head. "I guess not."

OoOoO

Strangely, having Jude around wasn't as awkward as they would have thought. She sat in the corner of the room reading the entire time.

Bella and Edward sat in the other room watching a movie. She laid in his arm as he would pet back her head. "Bella?"

"Hmm?"

"I think we need to get Jude out of here for a while," he insisted.

She looked up confused. "Why?"

"She's thinking, and pretty loudly at that, about how hungry she is. You have to be pretty hungry by now too. It's two o'clock."

Bella shrugged. "I guess I didn't really notice. What is she thinking now?"

"She's thinking… Alice looks very familiar, these people look like they don't get enough sleep, and now she's wondering how much longer is she going to stay in this town. I think she's finished the novel already." He made eye contact with Bella. "How old is she?"

"Fifteen, that's what she told me. We had better get going then."

OoOoO

"You guys really don't need to do this," Jude insisted. "I'm not hungry." Her tone wasn't really upset as much as it was annoyed. They made it seem like she was some sort of charity case.

"You're lying," he confirmed. Her mind screamed with hunger. "A bite of food won't kill you."

"Yeah, whatever."

They exited Edward's Volvo and her eyes were drawn to a small diner. It, in her eyes, was very… quaint. Jude sighed as she popped the bubble gum in annoyance that she could truly do nothing to stop their decision.

"Come on," Bella groaned, "we both need a bite to eat."

Jude rolled her eyes and followed Bella and Edward into the building. There, a perky waitress stood behind her podium.

"Hello! Welcome. Table for three?"

Edward nodded and they were led by the waitress. Jude raised her eyebrow as she watched the girl's ponytail swing around.

They sat at the booth and the waitress pulled out her notepad and gave them their menus. "Ok, my name is Shelby and I'll be your server today. What would you like to drink?"

"Sprite," Bella said not thinking about her answer.

"Just some water for me," Jude answered.

"Alright then. I'll be back in a just a second to take your orders and give you your drinks," Shelby said leaving them to their menus.

Bella and Jude picked up their menus, but obviously, Edward did not.

"So why did you to come back so early?" Jude asked.

"Hm?" Edward replied. "Oh, it was just so mucky from last night's rain. We couldn't stand it.

"That's weird," she braised through her menu, "Then why did your family seem so determined to hunt last night? It should have been impossible."

Bella grew wide eyed at the comment. Obviously Edward was shocked too, but he was able to keep his face calm under the pressure. "Hunting?" he asked.

"Yeah. Your mom told me that she and the rest of your family went out hunting. They must really like to hunt if they get up so early and hunt through that kind of condition."

"Hunting… right," Edward agreed. Esme must have told Jude that they were sportsmen. "My family, they're just so determined."

Within seconds of finishing his sentence, Shelby had come back with two sodas.

"Have you guys figured out what you would like to eat?"

Bella nodded. "I'll have the Caesar salad and the chicken."

"I'll have the cheeseburger," Jude added.

Shelby noted their orders on her notepad and smiled. "And you?" she asked pointing her pen at Edward.

"Nothing. Thank you."

She picked up their menus. "Well, let me know if you change your mind. I'll be back with our orders in just a few minutes," she said leaving them alone again.

Jude popped her gum once more and stared at the couple in front of her expecting some sort of reaction out of them. She felt awkward but managed to hide it through years of practice.

"So, Jude," Bella said breaking the thick icy tension, "it must be hard being a foster child."

She shrugged. "I guess so."

Edward realized she wasn't much of a talker though her mind was racing in thoughts of her past families. She was comparing Charlie to the many she had before. He stared at her as she sipped her 

soda. He only stopped when he realized she noticed his watching eyes. Her face grew an expression that simply said 'why are you looking at me like that?'

Edward quickly averted his daze and looked at Bella. She gave him an awkward smile as her only response.

"So… how do you like it here in Forks?" Bella asked.

She shrugged again. "Smaller than most towns I've been in, that's for sure."

They sat in silence again.

"Not much of a talker, are you?" Edward asked.

Bella jabbed him quickly in the side. It didn't hurt him, but it did manage to get his attention.

"It's alright. Trust me; there have been dozens of people worse then you."


End file.
